Dear Language Nerd, Occasionally when I am writing technical papers, I concentrate so much on the outstanding point that I am making that I write errant run-on sentences. When I (read MS Word editor) spot a suspect run-on, I think to myself “most people won’t recognize it anyway so just leave it.” I like the […]
Alternate Title: Catapostrophy! *** Language Nerd, Language Nerd, people who can’t use apostrophes right make me crazy. Why are they so difficult for so many? -Amelia *** Dear Amelia, In order to understand the trials and travails for the apostrophe of today, we must first look to the apostrophes of yesteryear. The yesterpostrophes, if you […]
Dear Language Nerd, Back when I was in school, we studied the interrobang, a question mark and exclamation point put together. But I haven’t seen it since, and so I ask you: whither the interrobang‽ Yours, Erwin Munz *** Dear Erwin, As far as I can tell, you were in the definite minority in studying […]